Now...I knew that I was Beryllium sensitive according to the
results of my blood tests. That made me
eligible for medical expense coverage through the Department of Labor (DOL). After contacting my case worker with the
results, I received a special Health “Insurance” Card to be used for any
expenses associated with Beryllium Sensitivity and beyond…the beyond to be
determined.
I live in Florida, but wanted to go to Denver, Colorado to
National Jewish Health (NJH). Why? One reason, okay two reasons. They are the best in the nation for the
treatment of Pulmonary Diseases and the biggest reason…they have a Beryllium
Program and do Beryllium research!
Having been to my local pulmonologist who told me, quite happily,
that, “You’ll be my first Beryllium Patient”, I thought that a well defined
Beryllium Program was a step in the right direction. I would go west to the Mile High city and
hope I could breathe up there.
NJH’s Beryllium program link: It was such a relief to talk to NJH. I would get answers and they would set up a schedule for me to have the various tests done to determine my condition. Obviously, they’d done it all before (which makes me wonder how big an issue Beryllium is) and clearly they were aware of the requirements of the DOL. I was told by NJH that the following tests were needed evaluate my condition: Pulmonary function test, exercise tolerance test, chest X ray, special blood draws and then have a bronchoscopy and a biopsy of my lungs under general anesthesia.
With the complete package I received from NJH, I was able to
secure approval from the DOL for the travel expenses associated with the
trip. Because of the lung biopsy, I was
allowed to have my wife come along as well.
The NJH schedule was precise and set over three days. I rarely had to wait between tests for more
than five minutes.
First were the pulmonary function tests which consisted of
breathing exercises during inhale and exhale with breathing through your mouth
with nose clips. Here is a link that
describes the test:
http://www.nationaljewish.org/programs/tests/pulmonary-physiology/pulmonary-function/inspiratory-expiratory-pressures
The next test was an Exercise Tolerance test which consisted
of being hooked up to an EKG, monitoring by computer and wearing a mask that
measured respirations in and out. In
addition, I had an arterial catheter in my right wrist in the Radial artery.
Here is a link to the information on the Exercise Tolerance
test:And a picture of me, “Beryllium Boy” the nickname my brother recently gave me.
I pedaled on the bike for 8 minutes. After each minute, the technician drew a vial
of blood to check oxygen levels during the exercise. Each minute the work level went up on the bike,
so it is harder to pedal. The revolutions
must always be above 70 rpm. The last
two minutes were extremely difficult.
The technicians coached me on, all three of them and my wife at one
point cheered as though I was competing in a Tour de France. It was exhausting.
The next day, I had a chest X-ray and a blood draw. Extra blood was taken for Beryllium research
that I volunteered for. That afternoon
we had a meeting with the assigned doctor of my case. The bottom line was that for someone at my
age and height…my lung capacity was a 69% of what it should have been. He showed us the X-rays and explained and
showed us the scar tissue in my lungs.
He also explained the procedure I would have the next day –the bronchoscopy.
Here is a link that describes the bronchoscopy:
http://www.nationaljewish.org/programs/tests/bronchoscopy
Because I had been sedated, the doctor advised my wife that
the final results would be given to me the next day at our consultation.
I knew I was in the right place. Answers were forthcoming…tomorrow.
The following is a link to information on NJH’s Division of
Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences if you’d like to know more about
their programs.
http://www.nationaljewish.org/about/depts/medicine/environmental
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